Parents 1st are pleased to announce our new Stay, Play and Chat Drop-In Sessions for pregnant and new parents in Southend.
Join our friendly, informal drop-in group where you can connect with other Southend parents who truly understand the ups and downs of this stage of life.
Whether you’d like to share your experiences, ask questions, or simply enjoy a cuppa while your baby plays nearby, you’ll find a warm welcome here. Together, we’ll talk openly about the joys and challenges of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.
Come as you are, stay as long as you like, and know that you’ll be met with kindness, understanding, and encouragement. (Older children are also welcome to come along with you).
Trauma isn’t always visible, but it can change how someone thinks, feels and acts. Understanding trauma can help us make sure people feel safe and supported.
If you work in a helping profession (like health care, mental health, emergency services, education or youth services), or you simply want to be more trauma-informed, don’t miss Mind in West Essex‘s upcoming workshop.
Trauma & Recovery Awareness helps you understand brain development and how this impacts behaviour and life chances. Topics include:
💙 The impact of trauma
💙 Toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences
💙 Neuroscience research in relation to trauma
💙 Working in a trauma-informed way
💙 How vicarious trauma affects us and those around us
💙 Practical resources for self care for ourselves and those we support.
You’re Invited: Cheese & Wine Business Networking Evening 📅 Tuesday, 11th November 2025 | 🕠 5:30pm – 7:30pm | 📍 The Abbeyfield Society, Waltham Abbey
We’re delighted to invite you to an exclusive Cheese & Wine Business Networking Evening, hosted at The Abbeyfield Society, Waltham Abbey.
Join us for a relaxed and friendly gathering where local business owners and professionals come together to connect, collaborate, and share ideas — all while enjoying a selection of fine cheeses and wines.
This is a fantastic opportunity to: 🧀 Build valuable local connections 🍇 Promote your business in a warm, informal setting 🍷 Meet like-minded professionals passionate about community and growth
Whether you’re looking to grow your network, discover new partnerships, or simply unwind after work, this event promises great company, great conversation, and a welcoming atmosphere.
Event Details: 📍 The Abbeyfield Society, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3DJ 📅 Tuesday, 11th November 2025 🕠 5:30pm – 7:30pm
While RSVP isn’t essential, it helps us plan ahead — ensuring everyone enjoys plenty of nibbles and a perfect pour.
👉 Simply email or contact us on 07353 125111 (calls, WhatsApp, and text messages welcome).
There’s plenty of free parking on site.
We look forward to raising a glass with you and celebrating the spirit of local business together!
Every October, Baby Loss Awareness Week brings families and communities together to remember lives lost too soon, raise awareness, and call for better support.
Why it Matters
Sadly, baby loss is more common than many realise:
1 in 5 pregnancies in the UK ends in miscarriage.
In 2023 there were 2,545 stillbirths and 1,933 neonatal deaths in the UK.
A 2023 survey found half of UK adults have been personally affected by pregnancy or baby loss.
In Essex, NHS data shows that families continue to experience losses every month across local maternity units. Behind each number is a grieving family who deserves compassion and support.
Support & Change
Grief from baby loss can have lasting effects, with around 1 in 5 parents experiencing PTSD or prolonged depression after their loss. Support networks, remembrance services, and counselling can make a real difference.
Progress is being made nationally—such as calls for bereavement leave after miscarriage—but community-based support remains vital.
How Essex Can Help
Find support: Families can use www.essexmap.co.uk to discover local groups and services.
Offer support: If your organisation provides help for bereaved families, please add your details to the map—it’s free and ensures no one has to search alone.
Mind in West Essex is looking for a Sanctuary Support Worker (Part-Time) to join our team supporting the mental wellbeing of people experiencing emotional crisis.
📍 Based in Harlow, with ability to travel across West Essex
⏰ 14–28 hours per week on a 4-week rota (7-hour shifts 4pm-11pm across 7 days a week including weekends and bank holidays)
💷 £12.56 per hour (time and a half on public holidays)
This 3-hour session builds an understanding of the importance of fairness and inclusivity in the workplace and wider society.
Understand the difference between equality and equity
Explore intersectionality, privilege, unconscious bias and discrimination
Discuss microaggressions and how they can escalate without intervention
Consider how collective trauma, cultural trauma and racial trauma can impact wellbeing and good mental health
Reflect on how we can create a more inclusive workplace and society
Whether you’re a team leader, HR professional, educator, or simply someone committed to positive change, this training will help you foster fairness in your community or workplace.
This World Mental Health Day (Friday 10 October), our friends at Renew Counselling, in partnership with Chelmsford City Council, will be creating a calm and welcoming space on Chelmsford High Street (outside Barclays) from 10am–4pm.
Everyone is invited to take a moment for their wellbeing and enjoy:
✨ Mindfulness and self-care activities, including mini massages from The Beauty Room ✨ Opportunities to chat about counselling and mental health support ✨ Fundraising to help keep counselling affordable and accessible for all
Every year, around 55,000 women and 400 men in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer. Early detection, support, and access to the right services make a life-changing difference.
📍 If you or someone you know in Essex needs support — from local support groups to wellbeing services — visit Essex Map to find help near you.
Are you a charity, group, or organisation supporting people affected by breast cancer? ✨ Make sure your service is visible to those who need it most. ✉️ Email communications@essexalliance.org.uk to get listed.
Together, we can raise awareness, provide support, and help communities across Essex stay connected.
We’re excited to launch the Your Essex Community Learning Series, brought to you by Active Essex in partnership with Essex communities and organisations. Through this series of free webinars and online seminars, we aim to support, equip and inspire community groups, voluntary organisations, local leaders and grassroots networks across Essex.
As part of the Your Essex Community place-based offer, these sessions are designed based on insights gathered directly from local communities. They focus on the issues, skills, and challenges that matter most — whether that’s funding, community engagement, impact evaluation, leadership, or inclusive communication.
Each session is hosted online, making it accessible across the county. You can join live, ask questions, engage with facilitators and peers — all with zero travel required.
Upcoming Sessions & What You’ll Learn
Here’s a rundown of the forthcoming Learning Series webinars (all free to attend):
Date / Time
Title
What You’ll Gain
23 October, 2-3pm
Securing Grant Funding Successfully
Tips, strategies, and real examples of how to write compelling proposals — from both small and large grant perspectives.
11 November, 10-11am
Utilising Marketing to Promote Your Offer
Practical marketing methods, language, campaign ideas, social media approaches — delivered by the Active Essex Marketing team.
11 November, 11am-12pm
Engaging Local Communities Effectively
Approaches to community leadership, resident-led initiatives, building belonging, and creating system change through local engagement.
3 December, 10.30-11.30am
Effective Leadership for VCS During Change
Navigating uncertainty in times of reform, funding shifts, and organisational pressures — resilience, courage and adaptive leadership.
21 January 2026, 12-1pm
Inclusive Language and Communication
Gain tools to foster equity, accessibility, and amplify community voice; explore the Social Model of Disability and inclusive communication.
5 February 2026, 4-5pm
How to Demonstrate Your Impact
Learn the fundamentals of impact measurement: planning, data collection, analysis, reporting — and making your case with confidence.
Whether you’re fairly new to running a community project or a seasoned lead, these sessions are built to add value — practical tools, peer learning, and insight to help your organisation grow stronger.
Why It Matters
In Essex, we see a wealth of voluntary organisations, resident groups, and community networks doing vital work. Yet many face shared challenges: limited funding, competing priorities, evolving local structures, and navigating change. The Learning Series is part of our commitment to help meet those challenges head on — not by prescribing solutions, but by building skills, sharing best practice, and growing collective capacity.
As we roll out more sessions, the Learning Series will evolve — shaped by your feedback and the emerging needs across the county.
Join Us
Sign up now to access the webinars and be part of a growing community of practice across Essex. You’ll be able to attend live and revisit recordings (where available).
